Farm Legislation Suffers Surprising Defeat in House

WASHINGTON—The House dealt an embarrassing defeat to Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) on Thursday by rejecting a major farm-policy bill, a surprise loss that underscores how hard the House has become for Republicans to govern amid a powerful conservative wing and bitter divisions between parties.

The bill, which Mr. Boehner had personally endorsed and which had been expected to pass with bipartisan support, was rejected by a coalition...